Provided are a controller and a program which optimize specifications of a motor, thereby enabling a reduction in costs related to an industrial robot. This controller controls a multi-axis robot for holding a workpiece and comprises: a planned operation angle position acquisition unit which acquires a planned operation angle position of the motor for each axis on the basis of a planned movement position of the workpiece; a torque calculation unit which calculates a load torque applied from the workpiece to the motor 140 on the basis of a load weight relating to the workpiece and a horizontal distance from the axial center of each axis to the workpiece; and a movement possibility determination unit which determines whether or not the motor can be moved to the planned operation angle position on the basis of a difference between the calculated load torque and an allowable torque of the motor.

A rotary shaft structure includes an actuator having an output shaft for rotationally driving a driven body, a force sensor which is arranged between the output shaft and the driven body and which detects a force exerted between the output shaft and the driven body, and a flexible deformation body which is in contact with the output shaft and the driven body, wherein the entirety of the force sensor is sealed by the output shaft, the driven body, and the flexible deformation body.

An ultrasound time-of-flight (TOF) sensor module includes an ultrasonic transducer device, a cover layer, an elastic member, and a signal processor electronically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer device includes at least one ultrasonic transducer, which is configured as an ultrasonic transmitter and/or an ultrasonic receiver. The elastic member is interposed between the ultrasonic transducer device and the cover layer. The elastic member undergoes reversible compression in response to an external object impacting and/or contacting the cover layer. An ultrasound propagation distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the cover layer varies in accordance with the compression. The ultrasonic transmitter(s) transmit ultrasound signals. The cover layer reflects a fraction f of the ultrasound signals incident thereon. The signal processor obtains TOF data which indicate time differences between times of transmission of transmitted ultrasound signals by the ultrasonic transmitter(s) and times of receipt of reflected ultrasound signals by the ultrasonic receiver(s). The time differences vary in accordance with the ultrasound propagation distance.

A medical device is provided. The medical device includes a parallel manipulator. The parallel manipulator has an end platform coupled to a surgical tool and a base platform coupled to a machine module. The machine module is coupled to the surgical tool through a transmission shaft disposed between the end platform and the base platform. The transmission shaft has a transmission yoke, a runner, a first rod coupled to the transmission yoke, a second rod coupled to the runner, and a universal joint coupled between the first rod and the second rod.

Systems and methods for detecting pose and force against an object are provided. A method includes receiving a signal from a deformable sensor comprising data from a deformation region in a deformable membrane resulting from contact with the object utilizing an internal sensor disposed within an enclosure and having a field of view directed through a medium and toward a bottom surface of the deformable membrane. The method also determines a pose of the object based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane. The method also determines an amount of force applied between the deformable membrane and the object is determined based on the deformation region of the deformable membrane.

In an embodiment, a method and system use various sensors to determine a shape of a collection of materials (e.g., foodstuffs). A controller can determine a trajectory which achieves the desired end-state, possibly chosen from a set of feasible, collision-free trajectories to execute, and a robot executes that trajectory. The robot, executing that trajectory, scoops, grabs, or otherwise acquires the desired amount of material from the collection of materials at a desired location. The robot then deposits the collected material in the desired receptacle at a specific location and orientation.

A control device for a robot includes a comparing unit and a controller. When the robot equipped with a force sensor capable of detecting force components of a same type in a plurality of directions operates, the comparing unit compares a magnitude of each of the force components detected by the force sensor with a predetermined threshold value for each of the directions. If the comparing unit determines that a magnitude of a force component in any of the directions exceeds the threshold value, the controller controls the robot to avoid an increase in the magnitude of the force component in the direction.

A robot system includes a robot main body, a plurality of first control devices provided in the robot main body, and a detection unit configured to detect a state of the robot main body. In a case where one of the plurality of first control devices determines that the robot main body is in a predetermined state based on a detection result of the detection unit, the one of the plurality of first control devices outputs information indicating that the robot main body is in the predetermined state to another one of the plurality of first control devices other than the one of the plurality of first control devices.

In a robot (industrial robot) system, a robot holds a workpiece by pinching the workpiece between movable claws. A controller, which controls the robot, includes a host controller that controls the robot to perform a positioning operation for positioning the hand to a grip position and a gripping operation for displacing each of the movable claws toward each other at the grip position. In the controller, a machine learning device acquires stop reference data set for gripping of the workpiece, distance data indicating a distance between each of the movable claws of the hand positioned at the grip position and the workpiece, and comparison data indicating a deformation amount of the workpiece before and after the gripping operation. The machine learning device performs machine learning using such acquired data, resulting in constructing a model used for setting an operation mode of the gripping operation.

A system and method of breakaway clutching in a device includes an arm including a first joint and a control unit coupled to the arm. The control unit includes one or more processors. The control unit switches the first joint from a first state of the first joint to a second state of the first joint in response to an external stimulus applied to the arm exceeding a first threshold, wherein movement of the first joint is more restricted in the first state of the first joint than in the second state of the first joint, switches the first joint from the second state to the first state in response to a speed associated with the first joint falling below a speed threshold, and prevents the switching of the first joint from the first state to the second state when the arm is in a predetermined mode.